Keeping Secrets
by christielove
Summary: Ginny Weasley's first year at Hogwarts includes befriending Bellatrix's daughter, annoying Draco, and discovering Tom Riddle's secrets.
1. Friends & Enemies in Diagon Alley

BLURB:

What if there was never a prophecy about Harry Potter and he was just an ordinary wizard?

It's been more than ten years since the Order of the Phoenix destroyed Voldemort and Ginny Weasley is finally old enough to attend Hogwarts. Things seem to be going – she's discovering new talents and making new friends, including the acquaintance of a Slytherin girl. She's even made friends with a charming boy named Tom through his diary. However, when her days take a dark turn, Ginny has to figure out who she can really trust and where things went wrong.

Draco has plenty to deal with his second year – he's been charged with the protection of Kendra, Bellatrix's only child. It seems easy at first, until the girl strikes an unlikely friendship with a Weasley. To make things worse, Hermione Granger's brother somehow got sorted into Slytherin, something Draco didn't think was possible. The only good thing is the rumor of the Chamber of Secrets being opened again, and Draco's determined to find out who's responsible.

Set in an AU with the same major plot events. New characters and new perspectives in the world of Harry Potter.

* * *

It was a warm summer morning and the sun was slowly rising behind the rolling hills of Ottery St. Catchpole – the perfect morning to sneak out. After listening for anyone outside her room, Ginny Weasley slipped outside, falling into the same routine she'd had since she was six. The broom shed was unlocked as usual and without hesitation, the redhead grabbed Fred's broom and headed for the meadow.

The smell of last night's rain filled the air as the small girl made her way through the tall grass, quickly soaking her boots. _Blast it, I'll have to convince Dad to dry them later_ , Ginny thought in annoyance. She kept going, not stopping until she was a reasonable distance from the Burrow. With a confident command, the broom sprung into her hand and she mounted. Then, with a slight nudge of her right leg, the broom flew into the air, veering left.

For an hour, Ginny spun through the sky. In the air was the only place she felt truly free. The feeling of the wind on her face and in her hair was exhilarating. Knowing that she was flying against everyone's will made it even better; the youngest Weasley was a rebel through and through.

All too soon, Ginny heard the familiar rooster call that meant it was seven o'clock. After five years, she hadn't been caught, and that wasn't going to change today. She landed, quickly shoved Fred's broom into the shed, and hurried into the Burrow.

Ginny crept into her room, closing the door as gently as she could. The walls that used to be covered top-to-bottom in posters now had bare patches where Ginny had removed and packed her favorite pictures of the Weird Sisters and the Holyhead Harpies.

Ginny lay down on her worn wooden bed and stared at the ceiling, listening for her father's voice. Sure enough, she heard the angry muttering of her dad and the soothing voice of her mother as she tried to calm him. With the thin walls of her room, it wasn't hard to make out what they were saying.

"Not only do we have to get to King's Cross Station by eleven o'clock, but we have to go to Diagon Alley and get Ginny's and Ron's stuff!"

"Now, now, Arthur, calm down, dear. You're the one who wanted Ron and Ginny to go to Romania to see Charlie and his dragons."

"I know, Molly, but I didn't realize that they wouldn't get back until late last night!"

"Calm down, Arthur! We don't want the kids to see you like this. I know that Ginny would feel wretched if she knew you were so upset."

Mum was right. Ginny felt bad for making her dad anxious, but it was a situation she was growing used to. Ginny caused them the most trouble out of all her siblings because she refused to cooperate with anything. She didn't intend to frustrate them, but it tended to happen.

"You know, I could take Ginny and Ron and you could take the other boys to the station later," her mum offered. "Ginny just needs a set of robes and a wand. Her books are hand-me-downs, so we've got that covered. All we need for Ron is a set of Gilderoy Lockheart's books and we'll be set."

"I suppose that would work…yes, very well then," her dad agreed.

A few minutes passed and Ginny heard footsteps on the stairs. As soon as she could hear voices in the kitchen, she emerged from her room.

Ron was sitting at the table sipping some hot chocolate. Ginny skipped over to him and sat down. "Sleep well last night?" she asked him cheerily. From the bags under his eyes, she guessed not.

Ron shrugged. "There wasn't much time to sleep," he said grumpily. "Got in bed at two and got woken up at seven and I don't even know why!" He took a hearty gulp of cocoa and his face went red. "Bloody hot!" he sputtered. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the shocked look on his face.

"Well, you seem awfully chirpy today," Ron said, eying his sister suspiciously. "You haven't been trying one of Fred and George's concoctions, have you?"

"No, but they're always tons of fun," Ginny said mischievously, knowing Ron would disagree.

Ron pouted. "Fun for you, maybe. They always let you try the good stuff. Remember when they gave me that Acid Pop? It took Mum a week to grow my tongue back!" He glanced over at the stove, but Mum had gone back upstairs.

At that moment, Mr. Weasley came into the kitchen carrying a griddle, a measuring cup, and an instruction pamphlet. After clearing an area on the counter, he set them down and flipped through the booklet, running his fingers through his hair worriedly. A few minutes later, he pulled a bunch of ingredients off the shelves and stacked the teetering pile on the narrow space of empty countertop.

"What are you up to, Dad?" Ginny asked. It looked like he was trying muggle-style cooking again.

"Making pancakes," he replied. "Oh, and good morning." He began throwing the ingredients into the cup, including two eggs, shells and all.

Ginny always knew her dad had no cooking talent, but this was crazy. "Wouldn't it be easier just to, you know…use magic?"

"Well, you know how your mother is," he said uneasily. "I don't want to risk it."

Ron nodded. "She's a real pain about those sort of things."

"True…but Mum's not here right now, is she," Ginny said pointedly.

Mr. Weasley looked sheepishly at his two youngest children. "Do you mind if I…"

Ron and Ginny exchanged glances and then nodded. _He still has no idea,_ Ginny thought with a smile. It was kind of sad, really.

"You won't tell Molly, will you?" he asked suspiciously.

"We won't tell her what she doesn't already know," his daughter replied.

"Yeah, we'll be quiet," Ron agreed.

Their father sighed in relief and waved his wand, transfiguring the batter into pancakes that stacked, steaming, on a large platter. The little bit that was left, he drizzled onto the griddle. The batter quickly charred and left brown-colored stains all over the griddle. He stacked it on top of the rest of the dishes in the sink.

"That ought to convince her," Mr. Weasley said, rubbing his hands together proudly.

Moments later, Mrs. Weasley strolled into the room, a knowing smile on her face. "Well, that was fast, Arthur," she commented, giving him a quick kiss.

Mr. Weasley mumbled something like "she's onto me" under his breath. Scratching his neck nervously, he said, "Well, I think I'll go tell the boys that breakfast is ready." With that, he hurried out of the kitchen before Mum could ask him any questions.

"What was that about?" Mum asked, her hands on her hips.

"He doesn't think you know that he uses his wand all the time," Ginny said with a laugh.

"He works so hard! I don't want to ruin it for him," Mum said lovingly. She and Dad were totally perfect for each other. Ginny wanted that kind of relationship for herself someday.

"Say, why are we up so early anyway?" Ron asked.

Ginny stared at him with wide eyes, amazed that he could forget something like this. "You're joking, right?"

"Joking about what?" Ron asked. "Is there something going on?"

"It's September first," she reminded him. "We're going to Hogwarts today!"

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed. "I haven't packed!" He eyed the pancakes longingly and then scampered up the stairs. Along the way he bumped into Percy, who stumbled, sending his stack of papers flying every which-way.

Mum rushed over to Percy and began gushing about how sorry she was while she helped him gather the papers up. He muttered a quick "thank you" before piling them into a black briefcase.

"Oi mates!" Fred said as he came down the stairs.

"Good morning, everyone," George said as he came down behind his twin.

Percy huffed a hello and headed for the door.

"I'm off to meet some ministry friends," he said. "I'll see you all at Hogwarts. Good luck on your first day, Ginny," he said gruffly. With that he sped out the door, nearly bumping into Neville Longbottom, who was pulling his trunk out of the boot of the ministry car.

"Let me help you with that," Percy said. He grabbed Neville's trunk and tossed on the ground, hastily throwing his briefcase where his had been. Then he closed the boot and shot into the car, which quickly drove off.

"Some welcome _that_ was," Neville said cheerfully, not at all bothered by Percy's rudeness. It was an attitude they'd all gotten used to in the past year or so.

"Neville!" Ron greeted from the top of the stairs. He came hurrying down, lugging a bulky suitcase behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Weasley invited me over. I've got to get to Diagon Alley to get her things and her parents are still in Romania."

Ginny grinned. The Longbottoms had helped pay for everyone to go to Romania to see Charlie and his dragons. Neville had been with his grandmother at the time so his parents went on without him.

"It'll be great to have you here with us," Ginny said friendlily, blushing slightly. She'd met Neville when he came over for Christmas during Ron's first year. He was one of the nicest boys she'd ever met.

Just then, Dad came hustling down the stairs. "A quarter till eight and we haven't left yet!" he cried. "It's time to go!" He handed Ron, Neville, and Ginny a pinch of Floo powder. "Hurry!"

After smiling bashfully at Neville, Ginny threw her Floo powder down and stepped through the emerald flames.

* * *

"I have a special assignment for you this year, son," Lucius Malfoy said.

"Great. Another one?" Draco grumped. He had one last year too – to look for anyone who might threaten the Dark Lord's power. There was nobody in all of Hogwarts who came even close. What _wonderful_ task would he have this year?

"Don't complain!" his father hissed. "This assignment is from Bellatrix."

Draco shivered involuntarily. He could still remember the way it felt to be under the Cruciatus Curse. That crazy woman had used it on him just to make his mother behave. He didn't want to think about what could happen if he failed to complete her assignment.

"What am I to do?" Draco asked, failing to hide his nervousness.

"You are to keep an eye on her daughter, Kendra. This is her first year at Hogwarts. She'll be going under the surname 'Ruby.' Make sure no harm comes to her and watch who she befriends. Bellatrix doesn't want her child associating with mudbloods."

"I understand, Father," Draco said submissively. He just had to keep an eye on a little Slytherin girl. That wouldn't be too hard.

"Draco, she also told me to warn you that if you fail…"

His father's voice trailed off, but he knew what was left unsaid. If he failed, Bellatrix would finish what she started; she would end him.

* * *

Although it was not Ginny's first time being in Diagon Alley, coming back as a soon-to-be Hogwarts student made everything different. Booths lined the streets, selling used owls, old junk, burglar alarms, dark magic wards, and other odds and ends. They covered the streets in a thick mass, leaving gaps only in front of shop doors.

"First stop, Ollivander's," Mum announced. She steered the three students through the streets, ignoring the calls of "Low-price frogs! Get them now!" and "Limited supply of dark magic wards! Guaranteed to work!" It was almost as if she had gone deaf.

When they walked into Ollivander's, there was already a family inside. Ginny immediately recognized Hermione and nudged Ron with her elbow.

"Ow!" he cried. "What did you do that for?"

Ginny pointed towards the five-person family. "Hermione's over there."

Ron looked in the direction of her finger and grinned. "Oi! Hermione, over here!" he called.

Hermione turned around and smiled. "Hi Ron! Hi Neville! Hey Ginny, you're going to Hogwarts this year, aren't you?"

Ginny nodded, pleasantly surprised that the bushy-haired witch spoke to her. Hermione was one of the coolest girls she'd ever met.

"My brother and sister are first years too!" Hermione said.

Ginny looked over at the two kids who were waving their wands around. They didn't really look like Hermione. Both had much tamer brown hair and fair skin. When they turned around, the first thing Ginny noticed was their penetrating blue eyes. They were practically identical.

Ron stared at them for a few moments. "You never told me you had siblings." He sounded offended.

Hermione sighed. "I didn't until midsummer. Dumbledore asked my mum to take them in after their family was murdered by rogue Death Eaters."

There were still Death Eaters around? Ginny shivered and was about to ask about it, but their conversation was interrupted by Mr. Ollivander.

"I can take the next customer," he announced. When Ginny stepped up, he grinned, showing the many creases in his face from smiling over the years.

"Ah yes, the youngest Weasley," he said knowingly. "It's been a while since I last saw you…when Fred and George were getting their wands, I think."

"That's because I got Charlie's old one," Ron grumped.

"There aren't any left for me to have," Ginny said. "Besides, I'm sure your wand will get broken soon enough and then you'll _have_ to get a new one."

"Maybe," Ron said. He still sounded grumpy, but his sister didn't care. She was getting her very own wand.

"Here, try this one," Ollivander said. He pulled a long wand out of an ornate box and handed it to her. "Cypress, 12¼, core of unicorn hair."

She took the wand and, with a reassuring glance from Mum, waved it. The results were immediate and damaging. Several wand boxes flew out from their spots and fell to the floor. Dust filled the air and they all started coughing.

"I guess this isn't the right wand. Sorry, Mr. Ollivander," Ginny apologized, seeing boxes lying askew on the ground.

"It's fine, young Weasley. This happens every time," he said reassuringly. He picked up one of the boxes that fell on the floor and pulled the wand out. "Holly, 11 inches, core of phoenix feather."

Ginny picked up the dark brown wand, eyeing it suspiciously. It vibrated in her hand, humming from the power in its core. Maybe this one would work out better. She waved it hesitantly and once again wreaked havoc upon Mr. Ollivander's store.

"That's not a problem," Mr. Ollivander said, picking up another box from the dusty floor. He handed it to her and the process began once again. Wand after wand was pulled from their boxes and they began to blend together, jumbling in her head. Was it usually supposed to take this long?

"Try this one. Birch, nine inches, core of phoenix feather." He handed Ginny a simply-carved wand and again, she felt vibrations. Suddenly, the end of the wand lit up and sparks emanated from the tip like a sparkler. Ginny's eyes reflected the light of the wand as she stared at it in awe.

"That's the one!" Mr. Ollivander exclaimed. "You've found yourself a match, dear girl!" He rummaged around for the box and handed it to her. "Mrs. Weasley, care to pay?"

She nodded and walked over to the counter while fishing through her purse. Ginny carried the box carefully as she walked outside of the shop where Ron was talking to Hermione and Neville. They were all sitting on a bench while Hermione's siblings were seated on the cobblestone ground. The girl waved at the redheaded girl and smiled while the boy just nodded.

"Ah, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw me. "Now I can introduce you to my brother and sister!" She stood up, as did the boy and girl. "Ginny, this is Cass and Garren. Cass, Garren, this is Ginny. You guys are all going to be first years together!"

"Hi Ginny!" Cass chirped.

"Hey," the youngest Weasley replied friendlily. She arched an eyebrow at Garren, who was trying to look aloof.

Cass laughed at her expression. "He always does that. He wants to 'impress the ladies.' Or at least that's what he says."

"I do _not_!" Garren protested. "I just…don't like talking to you guys…er, girls."

"Your argument would be more convincing if you hadn't waited so long before talking," Ginny said with a smirk. Garren scowled at her, but it didn't faze her at all. If anything, it made her smirk even more. She was used to seeing the same expression on her brothers when she annoyed them.

"I think I'm going to like you a lot," Cass said. She hugged Ginny tightly and the redhead silently agreed; it was nice to finally be around another girl.

"Do you have your robes yet?" the girl asked after the pair separated.

Ginny shook her head. "I'm heading over to Madam Malkin's after Mum purchases my wand."

"So are we!" Cass squealed. "Maybe we can go together?"

"Why not? I'll ask my mum."

"And I'll ask mine!"

* * *

"Hurry up, Kendra!"

"Coming, Mum!"

The only child of the Lestranges hurried into Twilfitt and Tatting's, following her mother's long strides like she'd been doing all day. As Kendra watched her talk to the shopkeeper, a sense of hopelessness washed over the girl. How could she ever be like her mother, the renowned and feared Bellatrix Lestrange? Everyone said she was evil from the very beginning. Everyone said Kendra was following in her footsteps, that she was making everyone proud.

The raven-haired witch didn't know what they were talking about. There didn't seem to be a single evil bone in her body. The horror she'd seen her Mum inflict upon others gave her horrific nightmares and she could only hope she'd never have to do anything similar. Then they'd all realize that Kendra was no Death Eater. Maybe they'd realize it when she got sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Kendra dear, come stand on this stool for me," her mum said, beckoning towards her. Kendra complied, doing as Bellatrix said without complaint. She couldn't ever protest – a faded scar across her back served as a reminder of what happened when she refused to grant her mother's wishes.

As a woman dropped a robe over Kendra's head, the door chimes jingled, signaling that someone else had entered. Once she got her head and arms through the right holes, Kendra looked over to see the Malfoys. Another Death Eater family. Great.

Draco perched on a stool near her and winked when he caught her eye. "How's it going, Kendra?"

She shrugged. Draco made her feel uncomfortable; he seemed so confident in the role he'd been given, unlike her.

"Draky, did your father tell you about your assignment?" Kendra's mum asked.

Draco nodded, the cocky attitude gone in a second.

"Good," Bellatrix said. She was oblivious to the fact that there was fear in his eyes, an emotion Kendra didn't see much in the confident Slytherin. What assignment was her mother talking about? And why did Draco keep stealing glances at her? Did it have something to do with her?

Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

* * *

As the Weasleys and the Grangers left Ollivander's, everyone split up. Mrs. Weasley took Neville, Ron, and Hermione to Flourish and Blotts to get their books while the Grangers took Cass, Garren, and Ginny to Madam Malkin's to get their robes.

When they reached the shop, Garren groaned in disgust. "You mean I have to wear _girl_ clothes?" he asked disapprovingly as he stared at the garments in the shop window.

"They're not 'girl clothes' and yes, you have to wear them," Cass said. "Everyone has to wear robes."

"Ugh. You're just as bad as Hermione," Garren grumped.

Cass rolled her eyes and shot a grin at her new friend. "Isn't Garren such a grouch?"

"Yep," Ginny agreed with a grin.

"I'm tired of hanging out with girls all the time!" Garren complained. "I want to be with guys for once."

At that moment, the door opened and three boys strutted in, all looking quite confident. "Looks like you're in luck," Cass said, looking at them curiously.

"Who are they?" Ginny didn't recognize them, but the middle-aged one looked like he could be Ron's age.

"Oi! Over here!" Garren called.

The boys turned their heads in unison. Seeing the young wizard and witches, they came right over. "Hullo," the oldest said. "I'm Bilius. Who are you?"

"I'm Garren," he said, puffing out his chest. Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes. The stupid things boys did never ceased to amaze her – and she lived with four of them.

"You a first year?" Bilius asked.

"Yeah," Garren said. He deflated slightly.

"Cool. This is Troy. He's going to be a first year too. Maybe you guys will have classes together or something."

"That would be great," Garren said, grinning at Troy. "What's up, man?"

"Not much," Troy said, a smile on his face. The two boys shook hands. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

Troy gestured to the two older boys standing next to him. "This is my brother Hector. He's a third year. You've met Bilius. He's a fifth year."

"Nice to meet you guys," Garren said politely.

"Can we get going now?" Cass asked impatiently, drawing the boys' attention.

"And who are these lovely ladies?" Hector asked. His eyebrows bounced up and down teasingly which made the Granger girl laugh.

"Uh, this is my sister Cass and this is Ginny."

Bilius stared at Ginny for a moment. "Are you a Weasley, by chance?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, her face going hot. How did everyone always know? "Why?"

"I admire Fred and George's candy-making skills," he commented.

"But wait – aren't you in Slytherin?" she asked, noticing the green emblem on his robes.

"Yes, but not all Slytherins are bad, you know," he said. "Come on, bros, there's a spot open." With one last smile from Troy, the three boys walked up to a stool and started conversing with the man standing there.

"The absolute nerve!" Cass exclaimed. "We were in line before them!"

"It doesn't matter," Ginny said, not interested in arguing with the three brothers. "You know, there are a lot of people here for it being the first of September."

"You're right. It's rather odd," Cass said curiously.

Garren rolled his eyes. "Who cares? Let's get our robes and get of here!"

Cass and Ginny nodded in agreement and they walked up to a newly open stool.

After the three collected their fitted robes, they hurried over to Flourish and Blotts to get books for Garren and Cass. Ginny already had hers; they were Ron's last year and Fred's before that. No one knew where George's books went; it was a widely spread rumor that the twins used them while making their Extendable Ears.

Instead of going inside, Ginny ended up sitting outside the shop on the curb, trying to stay awake. She knew she shouldn't have pulled an all-nighter the night before going to Hogwarts. In her boredom, she sifted through the stack of books piled in her cauldron on the cobblestone street beside her. There were a lot of them and she could see why Mum couldn't afford to buy them all.

 _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot was worn and the corners had come off, allowing the yellowed pages inside to peek through. _Magical Theory_ was in better condition, although Ginny noticed that several of the pages were stuck together thanks to some sort of pink goo. She pulled out her supply list from _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ and read over it. She had all the books except for _Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger. Apparently Ron had lost it while battling a giant chess piece – or so the story went. It was too late for Ginny to get another one, however, so she would just have to find one at Hogwarts. Hopefully the Potions teacher would have extras.

"Hmm. Secondhand books, red hair, shabby clothing...you must be a Weasley," a cold voice commented.

Ginny looked up to find herself staring at Lucius Malfoy. He grabbed _The Standard Book of Spells_ out of the girl's hands and flipped through it absentmindedly. It was then that Ginny noticed a boy with slick blonde hair staring at her intensely. Their eyes met and he looked away quickly.

"I see you've met my son Draco," Lucius droned. "You'd do well to leave him alone as well as the rest of the Slytherins."

Ginny rolled her eyes. Nothing a Malfoy would say could scare her into doing anything. She was tired of them bullying her family, especially her father. "I'll do what I want when I want," she hissed. "Why don't you and your bratty son get out of my face?"

Lucius' eyes widened for a moment in shock until he leveled his gaze. "Come along, Draco. Let us not sink any lower speaking to this trash." He tossed her book on the ground and she snatched it up, shooting one last glare towards the Malfoys' retreating figures.

Draco smirked at Ginny, unfazed by her anger, and followed his father down the street towards Knockturn Alley. She stared after them and then got up to follow them, curious about what they were up to. It wasn't hard to pick them out from the crowd; a man dressed in all black and a boy wearing decisively green clothes, both with shocking white-blonde hair, were not hard to spot.

She was about to follow them into Knockturn Alley when a huge man came of the nearest building, stopping in front of her. "I don' think this is ther righ' place fer a girl li' you," he said in a booming voice. Ginny normally wasn't one for being scared by appearances, but standing in front of this seven-foot-tall giant, she was extremely frightened. Who wouldn't be afraid of such a giant man?

"Um, sure. I'll just be going back to my family now," Ginny said cautiously, inching backwards away from him.

"Wait a minute!" the man exclaimed. "Are you one o' `em Weasleys?"

She gulped. Not another one! "Er, yes...why?"

"I know yer bro'er," the man said. "The name's Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid. I'm the groundskeeper fer `ogwarts. Pleased ta meet ya, Weasley."

"My name's Ginny," she mumbled, confused by this turn of events. He was Ron's friend? Or a friend of Percy or Fred or George? For some reason, she guessed Ron. He tended to have the strangest acquaintances.

"Ginny, there's a nice name," Hagrid said thoughtfully. He looked at his watch. "Oh dear, `alf an `our till `leven! Bes' be on m' way now. An' you too, Ginny Weasley. I'll see you a' `ogwarts!"

"Uh, yes of course!" Ginny said, regaining her confidence. She turned around and headed back for Flourish and Blotts where everyone was sure to be waiting.

* * *

Draco was getting tired of following his father around. All he did was rant on and on about Muggle-borns and how worthless they were. Then he progressed onto half-bloods and went on a tirade about how special the Malfoys were to be purebloods. Of course he agreed with everything his father said, but it was annoying to hear the same complaints over and over again.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" his father asked. His eyes were set on a redheaded girl. "That must be the youngest Weasley." His right hand patted a pocket on his coat as he approached her.

What was he planning?

"Hmm. Secondhand books, red hair, shabby clothing…you must be a Weasley," Mr. Malfoy said in a monotone voice.

The girl looked up and jumped a little when she saw them. When Draco's father grabbed her textbook, the two students' eyes met. Draco was so surprised by her bright brown eyes staring into his that he looked away instantly. He could tell she was different from her ridiculous brothers – there was a sense of power about her. And she was pretty, prettier than he thought a Weasley could be.

Draco quickly blocked that line of thoughts. Even though she was a pureblood, everyone knew the Weasley family were blood traitors. No way in hell would they ever be friends. She'd be a petty Gryffindor like everyone else in her family and he'd be a Slytherin.

"I see you've met my son Draco," his father said. "You'd do well to leave him alone as well as the rest of the Slytherins."

Draco could see the girl was struggling to keep her composure; her frustration was obvious. Even though she flinched every time his father spoke, she didn't seem scared. There was a fire in her eyes he hadn't seen in any other Weasley.

"I'll do what I want when I want," she hissed. "Why don't you and your bratty son get out of my face!"

Draco's eyes widened in shock. Did she really just insult him and his father? A Weasley of all people, insulting the Malfoys? No student ever had the guts to say something like that. How dare she! His father would make her family pay for it.

His father's eyes widened for a moment until he leveled his gaze, becoming spiteful once again. "Come along, Draco. Let's not sink any lower speaking to this trash." He tossed the girl's book on the ground and she grabbed it, glaring at them. Draco felt her eyes burning into him, but he hid his discomfort and smirked before following his father down the street. As they reached Knockturn Alley, he glanced back towards the curb where she had been sitting, but she was gone.

* * *

"My little girl is all grown up." Mrs. Weasley shed a tear and hugged her daughter close.

"I promise I'll write you once a week," Ginny said. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I've got four brothers to look after me, after all." _Not really._ The only thing her brothers could do is get her in trouble.

The youngest Weasley pushed her mother away, grabbed her stuff, and slipped onto the train. She quickly found herself an empty compartment and sat down. Pretty soon, the door opened again and Cass poked her head in.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Sure." She took a seat across from me and Garren slipped in beside her.

"Couldn't you go find someone else to bug?" Cass grumped.

Garren shook his head. "I remain loyal to my twin," he said obnoxiously.

"What if we don't get in the same house? What if you get in Slytherin?"

"That'll never happen," he said confidently. "Besides, I'd still be loyal to my sister no matter what." Well, at least he had _one_ redeeming quality.

Suddenly, the door opened again and an older-looking boy came in. "I'm sure you won't mind if I sit with you," he said. He had messy black hair and ugly black-rimmed glasses that did nothing for his appearance.

"Um, who are you?" Cass asked. There was no mistaking the disdain in her voice.

"Harry. Harry Potter," the boy answered.

"I'm sorry. I still don't know who you are."

"Well, you should," he said self-righteously. "For one thing, my father was a famous Seeker. He's an Auror now, very well renowned..."

Ginny was distracted from the boy's obnoxious comments by a tapping on the window. She looked through it to see her mother mouthing words urgently and managed to pick out one word, "Ron." What about him?

"What?" Ginny accidently asked out loud.

"What?" Potter said, losing his train of thought.

"Just talking to my mum."

"But your mum is..."

"Standing outside the window trying to tell me something important. Now let me concentrate," Ginny said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. She watched as her mother kept repeating the same thing over and over again. Then she finally understood.

"She wants to know where Ron is," she realized. "She says he's not on the train."

"Where is he?" Cass asked.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't know." That boy, always being stupid. He was probably with Hermione and Neville somewhere. _Good luck getting to Hogwarts, idiot._

About ten minutes after the train took off, the door to the compartment opened again. A girl with curly black hair and dark brown eyes hurried in, slamming the door behind her. She smiled at the group before taking a seat beside Ginny.

"Uh, who are you?" Garren asked.

The girl blushed. "I'm Kendra. That boy – Draco – is following me," she said.

"You know him?" Ginny asked, immediately interested. Maybe she had some dirt Ginny could use against him later.

"Our parents are friends," Kendra explained.

"Who are your parents?" How could anyone be _friends_ with the Malfoys?

"The Rubys," she said quickly. "I'm Kendra Ruby."

The Rubys? Ginny had never heard of them. Something about the way Kendra said it made her think the girl was lying, but by the looks on everyone else's faces, they couldn't tell. If she didn't want them to know her true name, Ginny wouldn't question her. She would just figure it out on her own.

As the train continued on its journey, they all got along pretty well – all of them except for Harry. Everyone got so sick of his pompousness that they finally just kicked him out, luggage and all.

When the train arrived at Hogwarts, Hagrid came and took the first years to their boats. Kendra squeezed in with Cass, Garren, and Ginny as they got into a small canoe.

"Where's the driver?" Cass asked, her voice a whisper.

"Not here, I guess," Ginny replied. "Do you think he'll come soon?"

"Remember t' keep all yer arms an' legs inside der boat a' all times," Hagrid said. "Don' stand up, either. I'll be watchin' ya, so don' try anything."

Suddenly a rush of air blew over their heads, sending the boats rocking. One boat tipped, sinking a handful of kids into the chilled night water.

"Help! I can't swim!" one cried.

"It's bloody cold!" another shouted.

Ginny looked around for what the source could've been. To her shock, she spotted her dad's flying Ford soar across the lake and crash into a willow tree. _So that's where Ron has been_ , she thought. _He's such an idiot!_

"Was that a flying car?" Garren asked, amazement in his voice.

Ginny nodded. "I think Ron was driving. My dad's not going to be happy."

"Your dad has a flying car?" Garren exclaimed. "That's awesome!"

"I guess," Ginny said. Boys always loved that sort of thing. She, however, thought it was just another way for Dad to get in trouble with the Ministry. Mum had the same opinion. And after Ron's stupid decision, Dad was sure to be in some deep water. _Way to go, stupid._

Suddenly their boat lurched. Kendra grabbed Ginny's arm in fright and the redhead grabbed the side of the boat, which was slowly moving towards the towering castle ahead.

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Ginny was finally here!

* * *

Hey! I'm pretty new here and this is the first time I've ever published a fanfiction! Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think and how I can make it better! Thanks a bunch:)


	2. DADA & Detention

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The setting and most of the characters and events belong to J. K. Rowling._

* * *

After what seemed like forever, the first years finally reached Hogwarts. Those stupid boats always took so long. Draco remembered how slow they glided through the water last year; he could probably swim faster. As the first years walked into the great hall, his eyes found the Weasley girl again – she stood out with that obnoxious red hair. She was talking to a pair of twins and a girl with curly dark hair…oh no.

There was no mistaking that wild mane. Draco's eyes widened as he realized he was looking at Kendra. Kendra _Lestrange_ , chatting friendlily with a _Weasley._ This was not good. Bellatrix would be furious if she knew her daughter was talking to a blood traitor! He had to stop them before they became friends.

The first years lined up and waited for their names to be called. There were several surprises in store this year, one being the sorting hat's song:

I'm the sorting hat

No doubt about that

Although I am unsure

About the creature who stirs

Beneath our feet

Someone seeks it

The chamber of secrets

Beware the creature

Who stirs in the walls

Of hallowed Hogwarts

For those of muggle birth

Will be the targets

Find the heir

And then beware!

That was the strangest song Draco had ever heard, and it revealed more than he liked. He knew his father had a diary that had something to do with the Chamber of Secrets; he'd have to ask him about it. It sounded like it would cause trouble for the mudbloods – nothing Draco needed to worry about, since he had the purest bloodline in all of Great Britain.

"Posie Allan." She was the younger sister of Stephanie, a Ravenclaw, but for some reason she got sorted into Gryffindor.

"Cass Granger." Draco recognized her as one of the twins from earlier. Could Kendra sink any lower? The Granger got Gryffindor – of course. Glancing over at her new table, Draco saw Hermione grinning widely as she beckoned her sister over. Which led him to wonder…since when did she have siblings?

"Garren Granger."

Of course he would get Gryffindor too. The girl was his twin, after all; it made sense. So when the sorting hat called out "Slytherin!" Draco was shocked beyond words. What, a mudblood in Slytherin? It was impossible! Much to his pleasure, he was not the only one surprised by the turn of events; Hermione looked utterly furious. Cass, however, was smiling and waving at her brother.

Garren had better be loyal to his house and not his family.

"Kendra Ruby." If she didn't get Slytherin, her mother would kill her! And him. Fortunately, she got sorted into the right house. As the girl walked over, Draco caught the Weasley girl watching Kendra closely. Did she know something? Did she weasel something out of Bellatrix's daughter?

Draco hoped not. He really didn't want to deal with that.

"Cheri Tribal." Her sister was in Hufflepuff and everyone expected her to be as well. Draco was glad that she ended up in the family house – something needed to be normal for once.

"Ginny Weasley." She got Gryffindor, of course. Her dump of a family would be proud.

"Troy Walton." His brothers were in Ravenclaw and Slytherin. He became a Gryffindor as well. What was this, a Gryffindor dream?

 _Don't forget about Garren_ , Draco reminded himself. _He's a Slytherin_. But something didn't seem right. How could a mudblood be in Slytherin?

"Draco, what are you thinking about?" Blaise asked.

"The sorting," he replied. "It was really weird this year."

Blaise nodded in agreement. "At least we got a few kids. It's amazing that we got a mudblood, though. I thought it was impossible."

"I know. I need to talk to that boy," Draco said. "Set him straight on the rules and things."

"Isn't that a prefect's job, though?"

"I'm not talking about Hogwarts' rules. I'm talking about my rules."

Blaise grinned. "Good luck, man!"

"Thanks." Not that he needed it or anything – he was Draco Malfoy, after all. He headed over to Garren who was busy talking to Kendra. "Is this seat taken?" he asked. It was more of a courtesy than an actual question; he was going to sit down either way.

Garren shook his head and Draco slid in beside him. "You're Draco, right?" he asked.

The blonde nodded. Smart boy, although what he knew was probably all lies. "I suppose your sister Hermione told you about me?"

Garren shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was lowered so that only Kendra and Draco could hear. "To tell you the truth, Cass and I aren't actually Hermione's siblings."

Draco's eyes widened. That meant he might not be a mudblood and everything would make sense again!

"Cass and I are purebloods," Garren said. "Dumbledore claims that he saved us when our parents were murdered by You-Know-Who, but I don't believe him. I'm telling you, there's something fishy about that guy. Of course, my sister believes him wholeheartedly. I'm not going to argue with her, though. She's as stubborn as a rock."

This reminded Draco of a certain Death Eater's complaints about their missing children. If Garren proved loyal to Slytherin, which seemed likely now, Draco would tell him that he knew who his real parents were and somehow get them to meet. Maybe that would put the Malfoys on better terms with the rest of the Death Eaters.

* * *

After the students were dismissed, Percy led the first year Gryffindors to their common room, discussing the history of Hogwarts along the way. Ginny was quite bored by the time they approached the Fat Lady; she knew her brother was a bland genius but this was ridiculous. Nobody cared that the paintings had been hung three hundred years ago or that the decorative armor in the hall was from the fifteenth century.

Needless to say, Ginny booked it into the dorms as soon as the group entered the common room. She quickly claimed a top bunk in the girls' dormitories, eventually joined by Cass and Posie. They spent the rest of the weekend settling in.

When Monday finally arrived, the first years made their way to the dreaded potions class. The previous year, Ron had told Ginny all about how terrible it was and she wasn't looking forward to it.

"I am Severus Snape, your potions master," the man at the front of the class announced. He looked at the youngest Weasley with hostility in his eyes and she knew she was done for.

"Today you will make the boil-cure potion," Snape said. "I hope you do not fail such an easy task on your first day of classes."

This was going to be dismal. Ginny didn't have a textbook and she had the feeling Snape wouldn't be eager to supply one for her. She couldn't share a textbook the whole year, though, so she cautiously raised her hand.

"Weasley."

"I don't have a textbook, sir."

Snape glared at her. "That is quite unfortunate. You'll just have to guess the potions then."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Cass said.

Snape glanced over at her in surprise, but instead of reprimanding her, he just sighed. "I suppose Ms. Weasley could have one of the textbooks in the cabinet." He pulled one out and dropped it on her desk. "All of you, get to work."

The redhead frowned, staring at the book in front of her. For some reason, Snape gave her the book because of Cass. He didn't even get mad at her for speaking out. There were a lot of mysteries at this school and Ginny was determined to get to the bottom of them.

Fifteen minutes later, Ginny was working on her second try while Cass was on her fifth.

"What if we fail?" Cass whispered nervously. "Think of what Hermione would say!"

Ginny grimaced – she loved Hermione, but she was glad they weren't siblings. That girl was a huge perfectionist. "Good luck," she said sympathetically.

Across the aisle, Posie cringed as her cauldron exploded, sending flames skyrocketing towards the ceiling. Professor Snape came over to her, tapping her desk with his wand.

"A week's detention for you, Posie. And ten points from Gryffindor."

"What!" Ginny exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

"Oh really? Ten more points from Gryffindor and detention for you as well, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny cursed the professor under her breath. Why did he have to be such a prick? And why did she have such a big mouth? She really wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but she suffered through the rest of the class in silence.

"Wow. Snape is so mean! He must really hate you," Cass said after they left the dungeons for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Yeah, thanks for sticking up for me," Posie said.

Ginny shrugged. "No problem. Snape's an old hag."

The three girls laughed.

"Oi! Wait up!" They paused for a moment, allowing Troy to catch up before they continued down the hallway.

"You were excellent back there, by the way," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," Ginny said, blushing a bit. _Stupid red cheeks._

"She was just calling Snape an old hag," Cass remarked.

Troy grinned. "He doesn't mind me. Probably because of Bilius. Actually, he held me after class to tell me that I have a promising future in potions."

"I'm jealous," Ginny said breezily. "I don't know what my brothers did to upset him, but he certainly doesn't like me."

Posie nodded in agreement. "I guess it's because my sister is in Hufflepuff."

"My twin brother is in Slytherin. Maybe that's why he was nice to me," Cass said thoughtfully.

"Does he even need to have a reason? He's Snape."

* * *

"Good morning everyone! Meet your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, me!" Gilderoy Lockhart flashed his perfect smile and even Pansy swooned – the girl that was supposedly infatuated with Draco. At least she had a new focus now.

Draco rolled his eyes. "This is going to be torture." Blaise nodded in agreement.

As soon as Draco saw Lockhart for the first time, he knew he'd hate him. He was at Flourish and Blotts with his father purchasing his ridiculous books when he saw the man standing with Harry Potter from Gryffindor. Potter was an annoying kid with Auror parents and a reputation as the best seeker since his father's generation. He and Lockhart were clearly meant for each other – both were pompous gits.

Lockhart started handing out papers. Draco looked at the one he dropped on his desk: a Second Year Essential Knowledge Test.

"What is this?" he scoffed, scanning the pages. It looked to be a list of 54 questions about Lockhart. "This is crazy!"

"I expect this to be completed by the end of class," Lockhart announced. "I hope you all have read my novels."

"Like hell I have," Draco muttered under his breath. He got to work, finishing within half an hour. He couldn't help but smirk as he leaned back in his seat.

"You finished already? I don't even know his favorite color," Blaise said, glancing at his friend's paper in shock.

Draco snickered and handed the test to him. As Blaise scanned over it, his smile grew bigger and bigger until he laughed.

"Is there a problem?" Lockhart asked from across the room.

"No sir."

"Good." Lockhart continued to admire himself in the mirror by his desk.

"Wow, this is great Draco. Insults to last a lifetime! What is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date? Somehow convincing everyone he's capable of being a teacher. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color? Ass." Blaise set the paper back down and looked up at his friend. "You're hilarious."

"I was just getting started," Draco said with a smirk. "The best ones are on the back."

Blaise flipped the paper over and read it. At the end the two burst out laughing. "Maybe this'll take his ego down a few notches," Blaise said.

"I don't know what you two find so funny," Lockhart said. He marched over to them. Draco noted that he had to wrench his eyes away from the full-length mirror. Spying Draco's paper on Blaise's desk, he snatched it up. His face grew redder and redder as he read, earning snickers from everyone in the class. Finally he slammed his fist on Draco's desk, his usually cheerful face twisted ferociously.

"You two – detention," he growled. "And ten points from Slytherin."

Draco glared at him. Hopefully Snape would excuse him because there was no way he was showing up.

* * *

DADA was probably Ginny's least favorite class after Potions. When the Gryffindors entered the room, it was covered in mirrors and Gilderoy's books were everywhere.

"He probably has a dozen copies each," Cass commented as she looked around.

The three girls sat down in the back row. Troy joined them, scowling. "This guy is so full of himself. He's blinded by his ego."

"I think he's amazing," Posie said dreamily as she stared at the front of the classroom. Ginny followed her eyes and there he was, smiling to reveal perfect white teeth in the same way as the dozens of posters plastered all over the room. Most of the girls in the room practically fainted, Posie included. Cass, however, looked perplexed, like she couldn't decide what to think of him.

Lockhart began passing out some papers. "I am handing out the First Year Essential Knowledge Test. You have all of class today to complete it."

A test? But it was the first day of school! Even Snape hadn't pulled that kind of stunt. It looked like all the questions were about Gilderoy Lockhart. Cass' expression changed from bewilderment to anger. It seemed that she didn't think highly of him anymore.

Troy grimaced as his pencil rolled off his desk and under Ginny's chair. She bent down to pick it up and noticed a crumpled paper. Out of curiosity, she grabbed both items and after handing Troy his pencil, set the wad on her desk.

"Thanks. What's that?"

"I don't know." Ginny smoothed the paper out and read it over. It was a Second Year Essential Knowledge Test, a page longer than the first years' assignment. The writer had written insults as answers to all 54 questions.

"Wow, this person really has a sense of humor," Troy said.

Ginny nodded in silent agreement, still reading it. Whoever it was had come up with some really good insults that she would have to remember for later.

"They have really nice handwriting," Cass noticed. Ginny hadn't paid attention but now that she looked, she had to agree. Absently, she wondered who had come up with these clever insults - probably a Ravenclaw boy, seeing how the handwriting wasn't very girly.

"Well, it appears that it's almost time to go," Lockhart announced, blessing the group with another of his perfect smiles. "Leave your papers on your desk and I'll collect them."

Ginny frowned – there was nothing written on her test. Hastily, she scribbled a few answers down, stuffed the second year test into her bag, and followed the rest of the first years out.

* * *

"It's the first day of classes, Malfoy. How did you get detention already?" Snape snapped.

"It's Lockhart! That guy is an idiot and he got offended when I tried to take his ego down a notch," Draco explained. "You have to get me out of detention, there's no way I'm going."

Snape sighed. "Honestly, you're almost as troublesome as the Weasley bunch. I can't get you out of it today."

Draco groaned. This was going to be a miserable start to the year – and did Snape just compare him to the Weasleys? It was degrading to even put their names in the same sentence, almost as bad as comparing his potion skills to Granger's. Speaking of Granger…

"Have you seen the Granger twins?" he asked. "I think they're Rookwood's kids."

Snape nodded. "The girl was in my potions class. Augustus is not going to be pleased when he discovers his daughter is a Gryffindor, and friends with a Weasley of all people," he said scornfully. "You'd better look out for her and her brother as well as Kendra."

"You know about that?" Draco asked with a grimace. Snape always seemed to know what was going on.

"Bellatrix doesn't seem to trust you. This is your opportunity to step up and redeem your family's honor in the Dark Lord's eyes," he said. "Don't mess it up."

"I won't," Draco promised, a chill running through him at the mention of his insane aunt. His life depended on it.

* * *

"I can't believe we're stuck here," Posie grumped. She and Ginny were stuck in detention while everyone else was out exploring the grounds.

"This sucks," Ginny agreed. She slumped in her seat, staring at the moss-covered walls around her. Detention was in the dungeons near potions and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in the last hundred years; everything was coated in moss and grime. It was disgusting. The door had rotted away years ago, leaving an open doorway and two rusty hinges. So far the two of them were the only ones in the room, along with a silent ghost hovering in the corner.

"We could probably just leave right now and nobody would know," Ginny said. The idea was tempting – there was so much to explore and do outside of this dinky room.

"Nobody leaves until I say so," the ghost droned. Ginny groaned, sinking lower in her chair. This couldn't get much worse.

As if on cue, a familiar blonde trudged in, a frown on his face. When he saw her, he looked surprised for a moment before scowling and turning away, taking a seat on the other side of the room. A few moments later, Kendra came in and sat down next to her.

"Hey guys," she said. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Ginny shrugged. "Snape hates me. Probably my stupid brothers. Why are you here?"

"Um, I accidently hexed my teacher's moustache off," Kendra said sheepishly.

"No way, that's awesome. I bet it was hilarious," Ginny said, imagining the scene. She couldn't wait for charms class.

"It was kinda funny," Kendra said. "I felt awful in the moment though. He was so upset and everyone was laughing at him."

Ginny grinned – she didn't feel sorry for any teachers at this school. They had to be a little crazy to teach a bunch of teenage wizards. "Maybe I should try hexing Snape's hair. That would be fun."

Posie giggled. "You'd get in so much trouble."

"It would be worth it," the redhead said, picturing the look on his face.

* * *

It was obvious that Draco's assignment this year wasn't going to be easy. When Kendra walked into detention, she immediately sat down next to the Weasley girl and her friend without so much as glancing at him. And the girl felt _bad_ about hexing her teacher's moustache. How was she in Slytherin? How was she Bellatrix's daughter? They were complete opposites. _Weasley_ was more like Lestrange than Kendra was.

He had to intervene eventually. No way would Bellatrix want her daughter associating with stupid Gryffindors. With a sigh, he got up and took the seat next to Kendra.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Weasley asked. She said his name like it was something foul in her mouth – the nerve of that girl! Ron never dared to speak against him; at least he knew his place.

"Trust me, the last thing I want to do is be near the likes of you," Draco said, glaring at her. No way was he letting her insult him. "Unfortunately, Kendra's mum said I have to look out for her, so if she's going to be hanging out with blood traitors and pathetic Gryffindors, so am I."

"So you're basically her babysitter. That sucks. I'm sorry, Kendra."

Why was Weasley apologizing to her? _He_ was the one sacrificing his time to keep Kendra safe.

"I'm more like a protector. My job is to make sure she doesn't get mixed up with people that are going to steer her wrong," Draco said, looking at Weasley pointedly.

"Oh, because you're heading in such a _great_ direction," she countered, seemingly unaffected by his accusations.

"You don't know anything, Weasley," he snapped. He hated how she assumed she knew him just because of who his father was. She had no idea how hard it was for him. He hated that his father was a Death Eater. Every time he caught a glimpse of the Dark Mark on Lucius Malfoy's arm, it sent chills down his spine. He was so glad that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been destroyed, because the idea of joining his ranks scared Draco out of his mind.

The redhead scoffed, drawing him back to the present. "My name is Ginny. And I know enough."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Weasley," Draco replied, venom evident in his voice. She didn't respond, but he could feel her glare burn into him as he faced the front of the room, unable to meet her eyes.

"Alright, you are free to go. Posie, I believe you're back tomorrow. The rest of you are clear for now."

The other Gryffindor girl sighed as the three of them stood. "Have fun with your guard dog," Weasley joked as she left.

"Did she really tell you to watch me?" Kendra asked as soon as everyone else was out of earshot.

Draco nodded glumly. "I'm not exactly in the position to refuse her assignment."

"You don't have to do it. Just tell her I'm doing fine and I'll back you up."

"They have eyes and ears all over Hogwarts, Kendra. It's not that easy. You know she wouldn't like you hanging out with a blood traitor." The frown on her face told him she knew who he was referring to; their families were allies in a treacherous circle.

"Her name is Ginny. Just because her parents are blood traitors doesn't mean she's a bad person or a bad influence. She's actually really cool."

This was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought. "Bellatrix is unlikely to agree. I don't know about you, but I don't want to get on her bad side."

Kendra grimaced. "Me neither."

"Think about it, please."

She nodded and they walked the rest of the way to the common room in silence.

* * *

When Posie and Ginny got to the common room, it looked like there was a party going on. Fred and George were in the middle of it, passing out all sorts of toys and foods.

"Ginny!" they called out in unison when they saw their sister. Fred handed her a drink that she recognized from their experiments. Glancing around as she held the can, Ginny chuckled – Filch would have a heart attack if he saw the room right now. She popped the lid and took a sip of the bubbly liquid.

"Alright, now that everyone important has arrived, let's toast to another great year at Hogwarts!" George shouted. "Cheers!"

Everyone raised their drinks in the air and cheered. Several confetti cannons went off throughout the room, raining down on the group. Troy appeared beside the girls, grinning widely with an unpopped cannon in his hand.

"Troy…" Ginny said in warning, guessing what he was planning. It was too late; the mischievous bastard exploded it in their faces. Confetti stuck to Ginny's clothes and hair, but she couldn't stay angry and burst out laughing along with Posie and Cass. As the four of them continued to celebrate, she caught Fred and George giving her two thumbs-up. Ron, Hermione, and Neville joined them, and surrounded by her friends, Ginny couldn't stop smiling.

It was going to be an amazing year.

* * *

 _Just a word of warning - the romance in this story will be slow at first. Just remember that they're only 11 and 12 right now, so it would be weird for them to have a relationship. In the original series there wasn't much romance until later books (except for Ginny, since she seemed to always have a boyfriend). To keep things interesting, I've tried to include little events and moments from the books that you may recognize; in some ways this story is quite similar to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._


	3. A Diary & A Broomstick

That night while going through her things, Ginny found a small black book. It was clearly meant to be a diary, but as she flipped through it, all the pages were blank. Her mum must've stuck it in with her things when she wasn't looking. She pulled out a quill and opened to the first page.

Written neatly at the top of the page was a name: T. M. Riddle. It must've been his once upon a time, but it looked like he hadn't ever written in it. She put her quill to the paper and paused for a moment, wondering what to write. A diary was a big thing and she wanted to start it right.

Realizing she was letting the ink pool up, she lifted the quill. To her surprise, the ink faded and disappeared. She wasn't using invisible ink so the only explanation was magic. Maybe it had a secret-keeping spell on it? She could write anything she wanted in it and no one would be able to read it. With this thought, she wrote her first sentence with confidence.

 _I don't like Draco Malfoy._ The words faded just like her ink blot and she smiled, feeling a little powerful.

Ginny was about to write something else when words reappeared on the page: _Neither do I._ She stared at the words in shock. The book could talk? She looked back at the name at the top – it was written in the same handwriting as the words that responded to her. Was Riddle the name of the book or an actual person?

 _My name's Ginny Weasley. Who are you?_ She held her breath as the words disappeared. Seconds later, she received another answer. _I'm Tom Riddle. It's nice to meet you. Why don't you like Malfoy?_

 _He's an annoying prick who won't stay out of my business. He keeps trying to keep me from being friends with Slytherins._

 _That sounds about right,_ Tom wrote back. _The rest of his family is the same. They're traitors._

Tom must've been one of the good guys, if he thought the Malfoys were traitors. Ginny continued writing to him for a while longer before climbing into bed, filled with an excitement that lingered into the following days and weeks.

It wasn't until the end of September that the first years finally started using their wands in charms class. It took Ginny a few tries to master her first spell, but she was much better off than most of her peers.

"How are you doing that?" Posie asked, eyes wide as she watched Ginny's feather float across the room.

The youngest Weasley shrugged. "I just said 'wingardium leviosa' and it rose into the air." She guided it through the air so it landed on Troy's head, who glared at her. Ginny smiled innocently and he rolled his eyes.

"I wish it worked like that for me," Cass said, watching them. Her feather was twitching on the desk as she repeated the incantation without success.

Troy wasn't doing much better. After shaking Ginny's feather off his head, he managed to get his own into the air for a few seconds before it sank back down and refused to move again.

"Blast it!" he cried in frustration. His wand seemed to agree because suddenly his feather burst into flames. Posie stared at the burning feather in horror while Cass and Ginny burst out laughing, earning them another glare from Troy.

"Your face was priceless," Ginny said between breaths.

"Whatever. It's almost time for flying lessons," Troy said, glancing at his watch.

The group headed out. Ginny couldn't wait; flying was one of her favorite things and today was the first day they'd be allowed to actually mount. They'd be using a class set of brooms, but Ginny knew she'd be able to catch on fast.

When Madame Hooch gave the Gryffindors permission to pick up their brooms, Ginny had to resist the urge to fly away right then and there. She missed being able to get away, the freedom of soaring through the sky.

Not all her friends felt the same way. Cass and Garren didn't seem to be having any difficulty mounting, but Kendra hadn't even lifted hers off the ground, instead starting at it fearfully as it lay in the grass.

"What if it takes off after I mount it? I don't know how to control it!" she worried.

Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That's the point, Kendra. You're not going to learn how to control it if you don't use it." How was this girl in Slytherin? She acted like a Hufflepuff.

Garren, on the other hand, was right where he belonged. Madame Hooch was already annoyed with him since he mounted without permission. He didn't even seem to care. Ginny secretly admired his attitude; she may have been a rebel at home but she didn't have the guts to openly break rules at school.

"Since this is the first time some of you will be flying a broom, I asked two of your peers to come help out. Both are highly skilled for their age," Hooch announced.

And of course, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter walked onto the field, an awkwardly large gap separating them. It didn't look like the boys were friends – a shame too, since they were both obnoxiously pretentious and clearly made for each other.

"Look, it's your guard dog," Cass teased, smirking at Kendra.

The raven-haired girl groaned. "Why does he have to show up everywhere?"

"Well, how else is he going to make sure you're behaving?" Ginny joked. "You'd better stop talking to me before he grounds you for misconduct."

Sure enough, the first thing Malfoy did when he spotted Kendra was question her choice in friends. "Why are you hanging out with these losers?" he sneered. "You should be talking to Slytherins who are worthy of your presence."

Ginny wanted to wipe that nasty sneer off his face. The arrogance he was emanating was contaminating her air.

"Garren's here and he's a Slytherin," Kendra pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Kendra," Malfoy said warningly, a serious look on his face. Something passed between them, a wordless exchange ending in a long sigh on Malfoy's part. Whatever just happened, it seemed that Kendra had won.

"You can leave now," she said rudely.

"I don't think so. I'm here to help my fellow students with their flying, so I'm going to stick around and see how well you're doing."

Kendra paled a little, but didn't back down. It looked like she finally found her Slytherin backbone. "I don't need any help."

Ginny couldn't stop herself from laughing at her friend's blatant lie. Kendra glared at her and Malfoy's eyebrow rose. "What's so funny?" he asked, finally acknowledging Ginny's presence.

"Oh, she needs help," Ginny said once she managed to stop laughing. "She's afraid of her broom."

"I am not! I'm just concerned for my safety."

"You're afraid," Ginny said with a smirk. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Malfoy smiling too.

"You have to be confident, Kendra," Malfoy said. He summoned his broom and Ginny's eyes widened, recognizing it as a Nimbus 2001 – the newest, fastest broom around. She tried to look unimpressed when he caught her eye, but the growing smirk on his face told her that she failed. She cursed him under her breath as he mounted and flew into the air. _I hope you fall off your broom._ Unfortunately, he didn't, landing smoothly after executing a series of loops and dives. Kendra's eyes were wide along with almost everybody else.

Ginny grudgingly admitted to herself that he was skilled, but refused to show it. Looking around, she was grateful to see Garren seemed just as unimpressed she was trying to be. Their eyes met and he grinned suddenly. "Want to race, Ginny?"

She knew she shouldn't, but she hadn't flown in so long…she scanned the crowd for Madame Hooch. It looked like she was focused on helping some struggling Gryffindors. Might as well go for it, then.

"You're on!" Ginny said, anticipation starting to rush through her. As she mounted her broom, she caught Malfoy watching them. If he reported them, she wouldn't hesitate to make him regret it.

"Alright, first one to the edge of the lake wins," Garren decided. "Cass, start us."

His sister looked between them in excitement. "On your marks…get set…go!"

They took off, dodging students in the hopes of avoiding detection by Hooch. There would probably be less air resistance up high, but Ginny hesitated to ascend; she really didn't want to get caught. Garren was beginning to pull ahead, though, so she took the risk and urged her broom up. No way was he beating her.

Ginny started gaining on him, but he noticed and rose into the sky ahead of her. She scowled. Obviously his lead was because his broom was faster, not because of skill. The only way she could beat him was by maneuvers. She waited until there were a couple hundred meters left before plunging towards the ground. The dive managed to pull her ahead of him and she won by a full broomlength.

Ginny dismounted, grinning widely from the satisfaction of flying and winning the race. Garren got off beside her, pouting. "Your broom was faster than mine," he complained as they walked back to the group.

"It was not. You're just upset that I beat you."

Garren tried to disagree, but gave it up when he realized they both saw right through his excuses. "You're pretty good. Have you flown before?" he asked.

"Thanks. Yeah, I've been flying for years. I want to play Quidditch next year."

"Really? Me too. We should practice together."

"Okay, that would be great!" Finally, someone who liked Quidditch as much as Ginny did. She knew there was open field on Fridays; they'd be able to practice then.

"That was awesome!" Cass exclaimed as Garren and Ginny approached the rest of the first years. "You guys were so fast!"

"Yeah. Draco looked so shocked," Kendra said with a giggle.

"Where did he go?" Ginny asked. "Wait, never mind. I don't care."

"You just got beaten by a girl," Cass teased, elbowing her brother.

"Lay off," Garren grumped. "It wasn't a fair race. I was expecting her to be slow."

"And the fact that she wasn't makes it unfair?" Cass asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…"

Before Garren could say anything else, he was interrupted. "That was some decent flying," Potter said as he walked up to them. _Great. Why him?_ Ginny supposed the fact that he even noticed them was a compliment in itself; he was about as self-absorbed as Lockhart.

"Thanks?"

"But, you two broke the rules, so I'm going to have to report you to Madame Hooch."

"What? Are you kidding me?" Ginny protested. "That's stupid. We're in the same house!"

"Rules are rules. Come on," Potter said. Ginny groaned in disbelief, but followed him reluctantly, her arms crossed in annoyance. Garren was winking at his Slytherin friends as they walked across the field – he didn't seem to give a crap that they were about to get into major trouble, and because of Potter, no less.

"What are you doing, Potter?"

Ginny never thought she'd actually be glad to hear Malfoy's obnoxious voice. Her eyes flashed between the two second years as they faced off.

"These two were breaking the rules, so I'm taking them to Hooch." There was a challenge in Potter's voice, as if he was daring Malfoy to argue with him. Of course, the prick didn't back down.

"I don't think so. Slytherin isn't losing any points today. If you want to report your own Gryffindor, be my guest," he said. He grabbed Garren and the two of them walked off, leaving Ginny with Potter, who had now replaced Malfoy at the top of her hate list.

No way was she letting Potter take her to Hooch now. "Oh look at the time," she said quickly, glancing at an imaginary watch on her wrist. "I gotta go." Before he could say anything, Ginny hurried away to her friends.

"Did you get a detention?" Kendra asked in concern.

"Nope. Malfoy stopped him."

"Really? I guess he's good for something," Cass said.

When the Gryffindors got back to the dorms, Ginny wrote about racing Garren and getting caught by Potter. _I hate him. He's such a goody-goody. I hate him more than Draco Malfoy._

 _He sounds awful. I'm sure he'll get what's coming for him eventually,_ Tom replied.

She told him about how Kendra was afraid of flying and how Malfoy ended up saving her from detention. Telling Tom everything about her day had become a daily occurrence over the past month. She felt like he was one of the few people who truly knew her; her brothers loved her, but they didn't really understand her. Tom was her closest confidant.

"What are you up to?" Cass asked, her head appearing over the side of the bed.

"Nothing," Ginny said quickly, stuffing the journal under her pillow. For some reason, she didn't want anyone to know about it.

"Okay." Cass gave her a weird look but didn't say anything.

Friday couldn't come fast enough. Garren was already on the field when Ginny arrived. Both of them had to use school brooms, which sucked, but it was better than having no broom. There were a few other people practicing; Ginny recognized a group of older Gryffindors from the house team on the other side of the pitch.

"I hope I can play Quidditch next year," Ginny said as she mounted her broom.

"Yeah, I'd like to be a beater," Garren agreed. "Being able to club people with giant balls without getting in trouble? Awesome."

Ginny laughed, rolling her eyes. "You are _such_ a Slytherin." Her eyes found the Gryffindors again, spotting Potter among them. "My dream is to be a seeker, but Potter has that part nailed."

Garren followed her gaze and smirked. "I bet I could figure out a way to get him out of the picture next year."

"I don't think a noble Gryffindor could consider your offer…but I'm more of a rebel," Ginny said with a grin. "You're positively devious!"

"A Gryffindor plotting against her own housemates? I would've that was beneath even a Weasley."

Ginny groaned, recognizing the obnoxious voice right away. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"I'm here to play Quidditch, of course." His eyes dropped to the two friends' rides. "Are those school brooms?"

"Yeah, what of it? Not all of us are spoiled rich prats like you," Ginny snapped.

"Take it back!" he demanded. "My father will hear about this!"

"Whatever," she said with a roll of her eyes. "If you don't mind, Garren and I are trying to practice."

Malfoy scowled and Ginny struggled to keep a straight face. Clearly she failed, if the angry fire in his eyes was any indication. She really needed to work on hiding her emotions before it got her into serious trouble.

"Are you seriously practicing with Weasley? Wouldn't you rather play with your fellow Slytherins?" Malfoy asked Garren, gesturing to the group gathering nearby. It seemed like he was changing tactics, since insulting her wasn't going anywhere.

Garren looked at his housemates, to Ginny, and back at Malfoy. "I'd love to play with you guys, but only if Ginny can too. Kendra would be mad if I ditched her _best_ friend."

Ginny smirked – there was no way Malfoy could argue against that. Calling her Kendra's best friend probably infuriated him. Was it so inconceivable that a high-bred Slytherin like Kendra wanted to associate with a Weasley? Who were that girl's parents anyway? They had to be pretty powerful if they could use Draco as a babysitter.

"There is no way a blood traitor is playing with us, especially on that sluggish broom," Malfoy spat.

"Oh please, it wouldn't matter if I had a freaking Nimbus 2001. You'd never let me practice with you – you're too afraid," Ginny said. She knew she was baiting him, but it was so easy…and kind of fun.

"I'm not afraid of anything, especially you."

"Sure you're not," she said cheerily, trying to aggravate him even more. She could see straight through his tough guy act and she was going to figure out what he was scared of. The more dirt she had on Malfoy, the better. She made a mental note to find Ron and Hermione later; they probably knew more than she did.

"You're going to regret this, Weasley," Malfoy said huffily before walking off. Ginny wasn't sure what he was talking about; it sounded like he was just trying to leave with dignity. She wouldn't regret anything – that prick was no threat to her.

"You are the coolest girl _ever_ ," Garren said, an awestruck look on his face. "He totally ran out of comebacks."

Ginny grinned. "Thanks. Now let's fly. I just wasted ten minutes of practice time arguing with that prick."

It absolutely infuriated Draco the way she thought she was better than him. She was a blasted _blood traitor_ for Merlin's sake! She should've been groveling at his feet, but instead she was hurling insults at him like that mudblood Granger. What was with those unruly Gryffindor girls? The Slytherin girls would never dare to be rude to him.

"Draco, you okay? What were you doing talking to the Weasley girl?" Blaise asked, sounding a little concerned.

"I'm fine. She's a bloody nuisance," Draco grumped. "She and Kendra are determined to be friends. I _refuse_ to be killed over a stupid friendship!"

Blaise nodded, a serious look on his face. He was one of the few people Draco trusted enough to confide in. He knew that Draco had to watch Bellatrix's daughter or risk his life and the honor of his family.

"Maybe you need to try a different tactic. You're letting her get to you. You need to turn the tables and annoy the heck out of _her_ instead."

"That requires talking to her," Draco complained. "I don't want to lower myself to that level."

"You're Draco Malfoy. There's no way you can lower yourself just by talking to her."

Blaise's logic was quite reasonable, as always. After considering his friend's words, Draco managed to calm down. "This is why you're my best friend, Blaise."

"Oh, it's my excellent advice, not the fact that my father is one of the richest men in the wizarding world?" he asked, raising an eyebrow teasingly.

"Well, that certainly helps."

The boys laughed and Blaise put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "C'mon, let's play Quidditch. I think my team is going to win this time."

"I doubt it. I'm Draco Malfoy, remember?" The Slytherins split into two groups and began scrimmaging like they used to the previous year. Now that Draco was a second year, he was determined to be on the Quidditch team. The seeker position was as good as his due to the generous donation his father made to the house team.

"Look out!"

Draco narrowly dodged a random Hufflepuff who had come too close to the Slytherin group. "Watch where you're going, freak!" he shouted after her. He could see her eyes fill with tears before she darted off the field. He may not have official authority to kick anyone off the field since it was open practice day, but he had plenty of _un_ official authority. Everyone listened to him. Except…

He saw a shock of red in the corner of his vision – the Weasley girl, a look of disgust on her face. Remembering Blaise's advice, he faked a smile and gave her a cheerful wave. The shock and disbelief on her face were so worth it.

"Blaise, you're a genius," Draco said, pausing the scrimmage for a moment. "I'll just annoy her until she gives up on being Kendra's friend. It's going to be fun."

Blaise smiled, but there was something about it that made Draco uneasily. Maybe the way his friend's eyes were glinting mischievously.

"What's that look for?" Draco demanded.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how all this turns out, that's all," Blaise said. "Let's get back to the game."

"Alright. Back in your positions, everyone," Draco called. Blaise flew off and Draco noticed him glance towards Weasley with that same knowing smile. Sometimes Draco wondered what went on in that brain of his. Blaise was a mystery, even to his best friend.

"And then he had the nerve to wave at me just after scaring a Hufflepuff out of her mind!" Ginny exclaimed. "He's the most frustrating git I've ever known."

"I'm glad Garren stuck by you," Cass said. "Sometimes I worry about him."

"Naw, Garren is great." The two girls were laying on their beds after Friday's dinner, Cass finishing up her charms homework and Ginny discretely writing to Tom. She'd been doing it more and more often lately; she felt like she could tell him anything. There were no secrets between them; he knew all her deepest fears and secret crushes – Troy and (sometimes) Garren – and she trusted him with that knowledge. He was her best friend and he was all hers.

"Hey! Cass, Ginny – we're about to start a game of Exploding Snaps down in the common room. You guys want to join?" Posie asked, poking her head into the dorm.

Ginny finished her sentence and closed the diary. Maybe Troy or Neville would be there. "Sounds fun. I'm coming." She hopped off the top bunk and followed Cass down the spiral staircase. She almost ran into Percy on her way out; she'd barely seen him over the past couple months.

"Watch where you're – oh, hullo Ginny. How are things?" Percy asked. He switched from prefect to brother in an instant, making his sister a little nervous.

"Um, fine," she replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cass inch away until she was out of sight. What a great friend. _Thanks for leaving me with the stuffy prefect._

"I heard that you got detention."

"Yeah, a _month_ ago." Ginny hadn't gotten a detention since August, and it was nearly October now.

"Yes, well…I hope you've learned from it. Breaking school rules is never good," Percy advised her. Ginny tried not to roll her eyes. She didn't do anything wrong – it wasn't _her_ fault Snape had a stick up his arse.

"Don't worry, Percy. I'm sure you have things to do, so…" Ginny took a step backwards, hoping to end the conversation.

"Right." Percy paused awkwardly, glancing towards the stairs. "Well, I'm off. Nice seeing you, Ginny. Take care."

"You too," she said politely. She turned and found Cass quickly. It looked like they started a game without her. She spotted Neville outside the circle and, after a moment's hesitation, sat down beside him.

"Hey Neville, why aren't you playing?"

"Last time I played, my hair caught on fire," he said dismally. "I don't think I'm ready to get back into it yet."

"Oh. I'm sorry." How was that even possible? Poor Neville – he always seemed to have such bad luck.

He shrugged. "I saw your brother talking to you. What was he saying?"

"Just commenting on my detention I got on the first day of school."

Neville grimaced. "I had detention last week and Lockhart made me answer his fan mail for him. It was terrible."

"Gross. Lockhart is more self-absorbed than Potter and Malfoy combined."

"For sure. Honestly though, Potter isn't that bad. Once you get past the boasting and the arrogance, I mean. He's a decent guy and a really good Quidditch player."

Ginny stared at Neville in disbelief. "Next you'll be telling me that you and Malfoy are chums. Potter tried to report me for breaking the rules earlier this week. Me, a _Gryffindor._ He's not a prefect, he shouldn't be enforcing the rules like that. That's Percy's job."

Neville didn't respond right away, and when he finally spoke, he was drowned out by cheering from the circle. It looked like Fred had won the game – by cheating, no doubt. As the next round commenced, Ginny joined the group. A few people had left between rounds, including the twins, but a considerable number of Gryffindors were still gathered around the fire.

Ginny settled into a spot between Cass and Troy. Everyone left was from younger years. She spotted Ron and Hermione (and Potter, unfortunately) on the opposite side of the circle, arguing about something. Posie was nearby, chatting with some other girls. There were a lot of faces she didn't recognize even after being there for a couple months.

"Alright, we're going to play the Bavarian version this time," the dealer boy announced. After everyone got their cards, the fast-paced game began. Ginny could barely keep up as the cards matched up with those in the center. She caught on eventually, though, and managed to jump in quickly enough that her cards didn't explode.

She wasn't so lucky the next round. Although the cards didn't explode loudly, Ginny's ears started ringing and a wave of nausea came over her. She excused herself and went to bed with a bad headache.


	4. Parties & Practical Knowledge

On Tuesday morning Kendra woke up late, much to her horror. Typically she got up an hour before breakfast; her hair took at least thirty minutes to tame. This morning, however, her roommates were already gone to breakfast when she stumbled out of bed. She got ready in a frenzy, throwing on robes and socks and shoes before tugging her hair back into a puffy ponytail. She grimaced at the exhausted pale face in the mirror, but there was no time to do anything about it.

Kendra arrived twenty minutes late and took her usual seat by Garren, who immediately commented on her haphazard state.

"Shove off," she grumped as she slathered butter onto her biscuit. She glanced down the table towards Draco, who was reading the paper, a frown on his face. The whole room seemed to be filled with charged energy; the other houses were whispering excitedly amongst themselves.

"Is something going on?" she asked Garren.

Garren shrugged and shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth. Without swallowing, he said some garbled words – something about art and strange tricks. Then Draco caught her eye and beckoned her over.

"You need to see this," he said, turning the paper to the front page. Kendra leaned over his shoulder and froze as she saw the headline: _Team of Aurors Led By Alastor Moody Apprehends Bellatrix Lestrange_.

Her mother was going to Azkaban. She didn't know whether to be upset or relieved; at the moment she was a little bit of both.

"I guess you don't have to keep an eye on me anymore," she said weakly.

Draco didn't laugh. "No, I do now more than ever. When she gets out, it'll only be worse."

"But…it's Azkaban. She can't escape," Kendra said. The idea made her sick.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll figure out a way," Blaise interjected. Apparently he'd been listening to their conversation. "She's a crazy b – "

" _Blaise_ ," Draco interrupted. "Be considerate. Even if it's true, you can't say that about people's mothers."

"No, it's okay," Kendra said softly. "I'm glad she's gone."

Blaise looked up at her with sympathy in his eyes. "Don't worry, we're here for you."

"Thanks." Kendra's eyes flickered towards the large clock at the end of the hall and groaned. "Shoot, I've got to go. My herbology class starts in a couple minutes." The boys waved her off and she headed outside to the greenhouses. It was a bright sunny day outside, which entirely contrasted with Kendra's conflicted mood. At least they were with the Gryffindors today – Kendra hadn't really talked to Ginny or Cass in a few days.

When she finally reached the greenhouse, she was happy to see that Ginny had saved her a spot. Professor Sprout was already talking, but fortunately her back was turned so she didn't see Kendra rush in.

"Devil's snare is an extremely rare plant," Sprout was saying. "We're very fortunate to have a specimen here at Hogwarts."

"Hermione had a run-in with some last year," Cass whispered. "While they were trying to stop Professor Snape from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone to bring You-Know-Who back to life."

"Snape was trying to steal something?" Ginny asked.

"Well, they thought it was Snape," Garren butted in. "But it was actually this Quirrel guy. And he had two faces!"

"He was trying to bring You-Know-Who back to life?" Kendra asked in horror. Her mother was crazy enough with him dead; she couldn't imagine how demonic Bellatrix would be if her master returned.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Hermione and them accidently killed him and the stone is gone now," Garren said.

"They _killed_ someone?" Ginny questioned. "My brother, actually causing someone harm? Yeah, right."

"I think it was Neville," Cass said. "He does everything by accident."

"I had no idea any of that happened," Troy said, finally joining the conversation. "Hector and Bilius never said anything about it."

"None of the students know. I only found out because I read Hermione's diary over the summer," Garren said, obviously pleased with himself.

"I thought she told you," Cass accused.

Garren smirked. "She doesn't tell me anything. And she won't, not now that I'm a Slytherin. Besides, it's not like she was going to tell _you_. Aren't you glad I found out for us?"

Cass rolled her eyes at him, but she didn't deny it. Kendra smiled at their banter and wondered what it was like to have a sibling. Maybe if she hadn't been an only child, it wouldn't be so bad living with Bellatrix. Maybe it would be less weight on her shoulders.

"Don't make me give you all detention," Sprout said, glaring at Kendra and her friends. "You haven't been listening to a single word I said."

The group quieted down, but kept looking at each other and laughing throughout the rest of class. All of them except for Ginny, Kendra noticed. She seemed a little out of it today; her eyes were red and she kept nodding off.

"Ginny, are you alright?" Kendra asked her after class.

The redhead nodded. "I'm just tired and I have a headache. I think I'm going to visit Madame Pomfrey."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I'm fine, really. Thanks though," Ginny said, smiling at her friend. Kendra watched her walk away, concerned about Ginny's well-being. She looked like she was getting sick.

"Do you guys know what's up with Ginny?" Kendra asked as everyone else headed to the main hall. The twins, Troy, Kendra, and Ginny had got into the habit of walking together and hanging out between classes. Posie joined them occasionally, but she was closer with some of the other Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls – probably because of her sister.

"She's been kinda out of it the past couple days," Cass said. "She's probably just stressed out or something."

"Yeah," Kendra agreed, although she doubted it was that simple. She didn't want to make a big deal about it; she knew Ginny wouldn't like that and she wanted to be a good friend.

Ginny knew something was wrong when she wasn't smiling as much in her herbology class. Usually she couldn't stop laughing – her friends were awesome – but today she just wasn't feeling it. Nobody seemed to notice except Kendra; that girl was quite perceptive, and the kindest Slytherin she'd ever met. It was sweet of her to offer to accompany Ginny to visit the nurse, but Ginny needed a moment to sort herself out.

After downing a potion, however, she began to wish she'd accepted Kendra's offer. The drink took the edge off her headache but she still felt kind of off as she headed back to the common room. Her footsteps echoed in the empty hallways and her imagination began to run wild. She began hearing things around every corner and felt quite uncomfortable by herself.

So when Ginny heard soft footsteps that didn't match her own, naturally she scrambled to find a hiding place. Shortly after pressing herself against a pillar, she heard a door open and the footsteps faded away – whoever it was, they were gone. She walked around the corner and froze; she could see Percy in an empty classroom snogging a girl – Penelope Clearwater, no less. Was this the reason he'd been disappearing so much?

Ginny blinked several times, but her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Then, to her horror, Percy looked up and saw her. For a moment, she couldn't move. Once she came to her senses, she took off running down the hallway.

 _Did that really just happen?_

Percy cornered Ginny the following morning as she was leaving the common room, grabbing her shoulder so she was facing him.

"Ginny, you musn't tell anyone. Promise me you won't tell mum or our brothers, especially not Fred and George. Give me your word!"

"Okay Percy," Ginny said tiredly, waving him off. It was too early for this kind of confrontation; he was making her head hurt.

Percy's anxiety changed to concern as he saw the look on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just tired. I've been getting headaches."

"Colds are going around, you might be getting sick. Whenever I'm under the weather I always take Pepperup Potion. It'll get you better in no time," Percy said quickly. He fished around in his bag and pulled out a small vial. "Here, drink this."

Ginny didn't want to keep talking to him and she suspected that drinking his potion would be the best way to get him off her case. She took it grudgingly and drank it down in one gulp – it tasted terrible. Percy looked satisfied and Ginny hastily bade him farewell before heading to class.

Draco was in much too bad of a mood to actually pay attention in his classes, not even potions. Ever since the newspaper article about Bellatrix getting arrested, he'd been stressing out over what to do. So when afternoon arrived and he headed to the Quidditch fields, it took everything in him to not strangle Oliver Woods and Potter right then and there.

Potter's pathetic friends tried to intervene, but Weasley managed to screw it up by cursing himself. He was hopeless. And as all the Gryffindors rushed him away in a trail of slugs, the Slytherins took the field.

How dare Granger accuse him of buying his way onto the team. Sure, the Nimbus 2001 brooms may have helped him win a spot, but he was definitely the best seeker in the Slytherin house.

"Well, you look pissed," Blaise commented as they mounted their brooms.

Draco scowled. "I hope Weasley chokes."

"What do you expect them to do when you call Granger a 'filthy little mudblood?' They're not the type to stand around," Blaise said.

"I don't know. They're pathetic, though. Granger would be better off without Weasley or Potter getting in the way."

"Personally, I don't know how they tolerate Potter. He's more obnoxious than even you," Blaise teased.

"Hey!" Draco reprimanded, though he couldn't help but smile, lifting his bad mood.

"That's better. Vincent and Gregory look like they're getting kinda lonely up there, come on."

"He did what?" Kendra asked in shock. She and Ginny were chatting through their combined charms class like usual and Ginny was informing her on what had happened the previous day on the Quidditch field – as told to her by Potter, who announced the event loudly and dramatically in the Gryffindor common room.

"Called Hermione a filthy little you-know-what," Ginny whispered.

"No way," Kendra gasped.

"Yeah. Ron tried to hex him, but his stupid wand backfired on him and he started retching slugs."

Kendra gagged. "That's nasty. Why doesn't he get a new wand?"

"Can't afford it right now. They spent all the extra money on mine."

"Oh."

Ginny guessed that Kendra had never had that problem. Anyone whose family associated with the Malfoys was probably filthy rich.

"Alright, you're dismissed. Remember to read pages ninety to ninety-five tonight. There will be a short test tomorrow."

The class groaned collectively as they started getting up. Ginny only caught the tail-end of what Professor Flitwick was saying. Before she could ask, Troy propped his elbows on her desk.

"Hey Ginny, my brother's having a Hallowe'en party and I thought I'd invite you and Cass," he said. The Granger girl immediately appeared beside him, her face lighting up.

"I haven't been to any wizard parties yet. It sounds fun!" she exclaimed.

"For which brother?" Ginny asked.

"Bilius. He's quite the popular bloke."

"But he's in Slytherin."

"He's a _cool_ Slytherin. Not all stuck-up like Malfoy and the rest. Garren's going to be there, and we're trying to convince Kendra to come."

Where did that girl go? Her seat was vacant and she was nowhere in sight. She was awfully good at disappearing when she needed to – a skill Ginny wished she had.

"Well, I'm in!" Cass said. Ginny nodded in agreement; she couldn't pass up an opportunity to party. Hopefully she wouldn't get sick that night so she could have maximum fun.

"Where's it at?" she asked.

"The dungeons. The older boys are setting it up to be the best party joint."

"Ooh, that sounds awesome! I can't wait!" Cass said eagerly. Ginny had never seen her this enthusiastic about something – looked like this Granger was a partier.

The anticipated evening arrived a few days later. Not dressed in robes for once, the girls got ready excitedly while chatting about the event.

"I hope it's not too creepy," Ginny worried as she pulled on a pair of skinny jeans. "I hate spooky stuff."

"I love that kind of thing," Cass said. She swiped some red lipstick onto her lips and a layer of mascara onto her eyelashes. "What do you think?"

"You pull off that lipstick really well," Ginny complimented. "Can I borrow your mascara?"

"Sure." Ginny applied it carefully, managing to smudge it only once. With six older brothers, she didn't have a lot of experience with makeup. She didn't usually bother with it, but she wasn't one to shun being girly every now and then. Getting glammed up was kinda fun.

"Wow, you have great eyes," Cass noticed, her hands on her hips. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky tonight."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Cass, we're only eleven." Honestly, she was surprised Cass even used that phrase. How in the world was she related to Hermione?

Oh wait…she wasn't. Ginny kept forgetting that Cass had other parents. No one ever mentioned it, and the twins never said anything either. It was almost as if they'd always been Grangers. That seemed odd…

Cass sighed, drawing Ginny away from her thoughts. "I didn't mean it like _that_ , Ginny. I meant, maybe we'll meet some cool people."

"Right," Ginny said skeptically. "Well, let's get going then."

By the time the girls arrived, the party was already in full force. Ginny spotted Garren right away – he was singing karaoke onstage and having a good time of it. They must've had an amplifying charm on him because she could hear his voice loud and clear. And surprisingly, he wasn't that bad – not bad at all.

"I can't believe he's singing," Cass said, though she didn't look embarrassed. "I'd be right up there with him if I could sing." Ginny suspected that was somewhat of an excuse, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Where's Troy?" she asked instead, raising her voice to be heard over the noise.

"I have no idea." They wandered the crowd for a few minutes and Ginny took in the sights around her. There was a large number of Slytherins and quite a few Gryffindors intermixed, an uncommon sight at Hogwarts.

"Hey, look who it is! Our little sister at a dungeon party!"

Ginny grinned, recognizing her twin brothers Fred and George instantly, even though they were wearing ridiculous costumes. "What are you two pirates doing here?"

"Bilius invited us, of course!" George said cheerily.

"Why are _you_ here?" Fred asked. "Are you friends with his brother Troy?"

"Yes she is," Troy answered, suddenly appearing beside her. "Glad you could make it, guys! Did you hear Garren?"

Ginny laughed and Cass rolled her eyes. "Yes we did."

"Was that your brother?" Fred asked. "We were about to go talk to him about that stellar stunt he pulled off earlier. We could use guys like him in our brainstorm sessions!"

"I bet he'd love that!" Cass said, ignoring Ginny's discouraging gestures.

"Good. We're going to go find him," George said, and the twins took off, a bit slower than usual due to their matching peg legs.

Ginny shook her head, but she was smiling. Those boys were so crazy. She loved them to bits. People without any siblings were missing out. Which reminded her… "Has Kendra shown up?"

"Yeah, I saw her hanging near Malfoy and his gang. Let's go find her," Troy suggested.

They found Kendra exactly as Troy described: in the middle of a conversation with the blonde Slytherin, albeit reluctantly. She kept looking around as if she wanted to be anywhere but at a party on Hallowe'en.

"Kendra, I'm so glad you came!" Cass said, running to give her friend a hug. Draco stared at the Gryffindor girls, then at the dark-skinned boy beside him. The two seemed to share a silent exchange before the unnamed one smiled knowingly, his eyes on Ginny. She rubbed her arms self-consciously, wondering what that look meant.

"What are you doing at a Slytherin party?" Malfoy demanded, not looking very pleased.

"It's not _just_ a Slytherin party," Ginny huffed. "And we were invited."

"By who?"

"By me, of course," a deep voice interrupted. Ginny turned to see Bilius himself walking up to them. The Walter boys seemed to have perfect timing. "It's nice to see you two again," Bilius said, referring to Ginny and Cass. "Garren's been having a blast so far."

Cass laughed. "Yeah, he's a big partier."

"I love it. He adds some much-needed life to the room. That's why I invited the Weasley twins. It's not a real party until they show up with their crazy inventions."

Ginny grinned and then burst into laughter when she saw the dumbfounded look on Malfoy's face. "You…you invited Weasleys?" he sputtered.

"Of course! Is there something wrong with that?" Bilius asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"No! I just…they're blood traitors!"

"So what? If they're adding to the party, it doesn't matter. If you're not going to liven up, you can get lost."

Malfoy scowled, but he didn't leave. The situation got a little awkward after Bilius walked away and no one else moved, but then Garren showed up.

"Hey guys, did you hear me singing? Aren't I totally the best?"

"Absolutely," Malfoy's friend said with a smile.

"Thanks, Blaise," Garrren said, grinning. "What are you doing at a party? I thought this kind of thing wasn't your scene."

"It's not. Draco needed a plus one, though, and I was the only guy available. Crabbe and Goyle aren't really conversation material."

Malfoy glared at his friend, but Blaise chose to ignore him, causing Ginny to chuckle. Malfoy then glared at her, but she kept smiling at him until he walked away in a huff while muttering something about getting a drink.

"Sorry about Draco, he's a bit of a prick," Blaise apologized. "It's not his fault, though. That's how he was raised."

Ginny had never thought about that. "It doesn't excuse his awfulness, though. He can be a decent human being like you."

Blaise chuckled. "I'm not really a decent person either, just in comparison to Draco."

"That's not true," Kendra disagreed, finally joining the conversation. "You're one of the nicest boys in all of Slytherin, at least to me."

"Thanks Ruby," Blaise said. He ruffled Kendra's hair affectionately and she mock-pouted at him. Ginny smiled at the exchange, seeing the sibling-like relationship that had grown between the two Slytherins over the past couple months.

"Hey, I know this song!" Garren said suddenly. "Let's go dance!"

"Yeah!" Cass agreed. "C'mon guys!"

"Alright," Troy said amiably, though less enthusiastically than the twins. "Ginny, you coming?"

"In a minute, I have to use the restroom." Her stomach was starting to ache again and dancing would just worsen the dizziness that was beginning to plague her. It was probably the confrontation with Malfoy that was making her queasy, and a quick breather would get her back into the mood.

"Do you want me to walk you?"

"I'm fine, but thanks."

"Okay. See you in a few," Troy said, and he walked into the crowd of dancing students. After saying goodbye to Kendra and Blaise, Ginny left the dungeons feeling pretty content about the party so far despite her sickness.

The next thing she knew, Ginny was lying in bed, clothing rumpled and hair a mess. Glancing out the window, she saw that it was the middle of the night. What happened? She climbed down the bunk bed and lit the tip of her wand to look around. Cass wasn't there so Bilius' party must still be going on. Why was Ginny here then?

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Ginny grimaced. She was a mess. The mascara had come off her eyelashes and created dark rings below her eyes and she looked paler than usual. She scrubbed her face hastily with cleanser she found in Cass' stuff, and then stumbled back into bed. She had no idea why she was in her dorms instead of in the dungeons, but she wasn't about to sneak back down in this condition. Still overwhelmingly confused, Ginny rolled over and went back to sleep.

The news the following morning was frightening. The Great Hall was filled with whispers about the Chamber of Secrets and Filch. "What's going on?" Ginny asked as she took a seat with her friends.

"Filch found Mrs. Norris petrified last night, hanging from a torch in the second floor bathroom," Cass said, her voice low. "Apparently Hermione, Ron, and Neville saw her on their way back to the common room after going to some ghost's death-day party."

"Petrified?" Ginny said, a sinking feeling in her stomach. "What does that mean?"

Neville, who was sitting near them, leaned in to answer the question. "She was frozen in this weird position, like she was dead. It was really creepy when we found her because you could see her reflection in this giant pool of water on the floor and the room was super dark."

"Why were you guys in there anyway?" Troy asked.

Neville shrugged and didn't say anything. Wow. Was anyone in this school secret-free? Even _Neville_ was up to something.

"Oi, we need to get going if we want to make it to Defense Against the Dark Arts on time," Troy said, looking at a golden pocketwatch.

"Is that new?" Ginny asked, leaning over the table. The watch was engraved with a roaring lion and the Gryffindor banner. "It's pretty."

"My mum sent it a few days ago as an early Christmas present. She thought it would come in handy since there don't seem to be many clocks around here."

Posie joined Troy, Cass, and Ginny on the way to DADA. For all his credentials, Lockhart was a terrible teacher. He was too busy promoting himself to actually teach his students anything useful.

Knowing that lilac was his favorite color was _not_ useful. Ginny preferred the answer on the test she found at the beginning of the year. Speaking of which, she needed to find it – it would provide some much-needed comic relief for the otherwise pointless class period.

"Alright, today we're going to have a little contest to see how much you've learned. I will be pairing you up with someone and whichever team wins will get an autographed poster of me."

"Yay," Ginny said unenthusiastically.

Posie's eyes lit up. "No way, this is so exciting! I hope I'm paired up with someone like Hermione."

That was likely, seeing as they had this class with Ravenclaws today. As Lockhart began pairing people up, it was clear that he was splitting up the houses.

"Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood."

Ginny grimaced as she eyed the blonde girl in the front of the classroom. From what she'd heard, Luna was eccentric – so unusual that people called her Loony. Ginny tried not to prejudge people, but as she took the seat next to Luna, she couldn't help but think the girl was a little…dreamy.

"Um, hi," Ginny said. "Lockhart is the worst, isn't he?" That was the only subject she could think of to talk about.

"He's not nearly as bad as Nargles," Luna said.

"What are Nargles?"

"Oh, they're quite mischievous. They'll steal anything they can get their hands on, you know. My father wrote all about them in _The Quibbler._ I have some extra copies if you want one."

"I'm good, thanks," Ginny said hastily. This girl was clearly not in her right mind, but she seemed pretty harmless.

"Alright, here are your tests. Whoever has the most answered correctly at the end of class will receive a signed picture of yours truly." _Like he just said._

The thick booklet on the desk was titled "Comprehensive Knowledge Assessment of Gilderoy Lockhart's Collected Works." Of course. Ginny shouldn't have expected anything else – like a test over content that they actually needed to know. If he was their DADA professor for all seven years of her schooling, she wouldn't pass her O.W.L.s, let alone graduate with any knowledge over the subject. Maybe she needed to learn on her own.

"I don't suppose you've read any of his books?" Luna asked.

"Not worth my time," Ginny replied.

"I agree. I read his Guide to Household Pests, but it didn't have any mentions of Nargles or Wrackspurts. It was not nearly as thorough as it should've been."

 _Mum would disagree_ , Ginny thought. She expected that her mother would support Lockhart's book to the end for all the help it provided over the years in the Burrow.

"Psst! Ginny!" someone whispered. She turned around and met Troy's eyes. "Do you know the answer to number three?" he asked.

"I'm still on number one," she said as she glanced down at her paper. _What was the name of the first troll Gilderoy Lockhart encountered in his novel_ Traveling With Trolls _?_ "I don't know, Brutus? Just make it up. It's not like we're getting actual grades in this class."

"But I want to win the poster," Troy said. "I can probably sell it on the black market for a ton of money."

Ginny laughed. For a second she thought he wanted the poster to hang in his room or something. "How would you find the black market, exactly?"

"I'm sure Bilius has a few connections," he replied, grinning cheekily.

"Nice." Sometimes Ginny wondered what would be different if any of her brothers had been sorted into Slytherin – even just one. She could see Percy being Slytherin. He didn't seem very Gryffindor to her, sneaking around to snog Penelope and always nitpicking everything.

Or if she had been sorted into Slytherin! She would've roomed with Kendra, of course. What did the Slytherin common rooms look like? Maybe Kendra could sneak her in sometime…she imagined the horrified look on Malfoy's face if he saw her there and smiled. That needed to happen.

"Ginny, class is almost over and we don't have anything written down," Luna said.

How long was she lost in her thoughts? Surely that hadn't been an hour! "Well, I guess we could try to answer some of them."

It took ten minutes to read through the questions and they had no idea how to answer any of them. With only a minute or two left, they began writing down random guesses, making it through most of the first page before Lockhart stopped them.

"Alright, leave your exams on the table when you leave and I'll announce the winner tomorrow," he said with an anticipatory grin. "You are dismissed. Until tomorrow, my faithful students."

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked over at Luna, who was messing with a strange pair of glasses. "Well, it was nice meeting you." She said the words as a goodbye, but she realized that she actually meant it. Luna was definitely weird and maybe a bit crazy, but she was interesting, and Ginny liked keeping things interesting.

"Yes. I'll see you around, Ginny," Luna said. She put on the glasses and slowly walked away. After a moment, Ginny shook her head and rejoined her friends.


End file.
